Marvel: Debriefings
by ZazamPOW
Summary: Chris Redfield, the survivor. The veteran. The legend. The man who started it all back in Raccoon City, and the man who ended it all, the man who killed Albert Wesker. Even after that he still hasn't quit, continuing to save the whole world from bioterrorism time after time. But his own world is about to get a lot bigger when he meets a new BOW, stronger, meaner, and a lot greener.
1. The World Gets Bigger

It was 3 A.M. when I received the call. I remember rolling over in a half-conscious stupor, muttering curses to myself before smashing my hand on the nightstand and searching for the phone. When I finally felt it through the dark, I immediately snatched it up and growled into the receiver. In hindsight, with my hair all matted and my expression so bewildered and aggravated, I probably resembled one of Umbrella's zombified bio-experiments gone wrong more than I did myself. But that quickly changed once I heard who was on the other line.

"Redfield, we have an emergency." The voice of my mission coordinator at the BSAA brought me back down to Earth. His choice of wording also helped wipe the fog from my mind.

"An emergency?" I repeated after a few seconds. I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and massaged my face with my free hand to try and rub away what remained of the morning fog. The BSAA wouldn't give me a personal call if this wasn't urgent, so I quickly stood up and made my way towards the shower. Before I could even get halfway there I was briefed on the situation.

A large, green monster was loose in New York City and destroying everything in it's path. Nobody had a clue where it came from or what it was, and HQ was in a frenzy. All they knew was that an incredibly powerful beast was rampaging through one of the most densely populated areas in the United States, and they needed me to come in and stop it.

I sighed. There was a time, not so long ago but it almost felt like an entirely different life, where I would gladly throw myself at any mission no matter the time or circumstances. After Jill disappeared, I was... lost, and the only purpose I could find in my life was the BSAA. Nowadays though, it seemed like I was reaching my limit. I was feeling my age more and more with every day, old and forgotten wounds were starting to flare up again, and right now all I could think about was crawling back into bed and letting someone else deal with this.

But a stronger part of me knew that wasn't an option. I quickly threw on my outfit - no time for a shower either - and left the dark apartment behind me. I knew it was my duty to root out bioterrorism no matter what, and I'd be damned if I let some extra sleep come in between me and saving a city full of civilians.

* * *

Less than an hour had passed when I found myself all geared up and leading a squad of soldiers down a fast-rope descent onto an NYC rooftop. The chopper couldn't make it down to street level, so rather than land in the outskirts of the city and make us hike, HQ decided to just drop us at some newspaper office called The Daily Bugle.

It was still night, and the rooftop was only scarcely lit by whatever ambient light from the streets below managed to reach us. It took us a few minutes of searching to find the entrance to the building, but once we did I told the men to secure a route through and into the streets while I performed recon from the roof. It was a big city, and according to reports, the monster was only seven or eight feet tall. Dangerous enough in close quarters, but at the moment, my biggest fear was not being able to track it down at all. The boys were carrying a new weapon just to deal with this thing; some kind of electrified net that would coil around the BOW and disable it's motor functions. It was still experimental, and I didn't know all the details, but apparently it took a whole team to properly man, although supposedly the results should make its lack of efficiency worth it. The 'Shocknet', is what they called it.

I waved my men off and leaned against the waist-high stone wall that bordered the rooftop. Despite the chaos this monster was supposedly causing, for whatever reason HQ was unable to give me an exact location on it's whereabouts. My usual tactics in situations like this would be to follow the trail of destruction, but as I looked over the edge of the rooftop and into the streets below, I realized there _was_ no destruction. Relieved, but confused, I pulled out my binoculars and gave the area a more thorough look, only to find absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. I widened my search, first a few blocks, and gradually throughout the whole city, but I spotted nothing that would indicate any BOWs were in the area. There were no wrecked buildings, no overturned cars, no bodies - everything seemed completely safe.

I was just about to radio HQ when out of nowhere, a gigantic _crash _ sounded nearby, and the ground below me began to shake like an earthquake. From the sudden surprise and tremors, I nearly lost my balance, but I managed to recover and quickly drew my handgun from it's holster, aiming it in the direction of whatever the hell that was. I almost wished I hadn't.

It looked human enough, but with a sickly shade of dark green skin that almost seemed to glow underneath the moonlight. The only clothing it wore was a pair of bright purple jeans, almost comical in their miraculous expansion to accommodate its tree-trunk sized legs, but as I stared this thing down from across the rooftop, laughter was the last thing on my mind. Its freakishly muscled abdomen slowly expanded and contracted with each deep, heavy breath it took, and as I stared back into this thing's shining green eyes, so bright that they almost acted like homing beacons for me to focus on in the near pitch black that surrounded us, I couldn't help but become overwhelmed by a sense of unbelievable power this thing seemed to radiate off.

"Freeze!" I shouted out of pure reflex, centering my gun between its eyes. It lifted its head, almost like it hadn't even noticed me until now, and did nothing. I was a little surprised that it actually listened when I yelled freeze, but something told me this thing wasn't actually about to surrender, only doing what it felt like at that moment. Then it did something that truly shocked me.

"Hulk doesn't take orders from puny humans with guns."

Never in my life had I encountered a B.O.W. capable of speech. None that were fully mutated at least. Could this thing have once been a normal human? And more importantly, could its consciousness still be in control? Maybe there was a way to end this nonviolently after all.

"I don't want to fight. But I'm gonna need you to surrender before I can put down my gun." If I didn't know any better I'd say the thing started laughing when I said that.

"Hulk surrenders to no one." It replied with a wave of a green fist that was bigger than my entire head. Suddenly, I found myself very grateful for the considerable space between us. I needed a way to diffuse the situation before things got out of hand. It seemed to have a name, so I decided to start with that.

"Hulk," I paused to see if he gave any negative reaction. "I'm a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. My job is to stop criminals from harming people." I made sure to speak slowly and calmly, just in case I was overestimating its intelligence. "So tell me, are you a criminal?" I asked as politely as I had ever been. It's reply was a gruff and simple 'No.' As intimidating as this guy was, I was beginning to think he wasn't hostile.

"If that's the case Hulk," I began while lowering my handgun. "Then I'd like you to come with me." How I planned on getting this thing onboard a helicopter wasn't exactly clear to me, but I was just eager to end the standoff. When he turned to face me fully, I wasn't sure if what I had said had been effective or not. When he raised his fists and began approaching at a speed I wasn't entirely comfortable with, I knew it had been, but not in the way I hoped.

"Puny soldiers with their puny guns, always the same, always coming after Hulk when all Hulk wants is to be left alone, always thinking they can hurt Hulk. But Hulk is too strong! **Hulk** **smash**!" He suddenly bolted towards me at speeds almost too quick for me to register. One second there was at least 20 feet of space between us, and the next, his shoulder was only a meter away from shattering every bone in my body. Years of muscle memory kicked in as I quickly dove to the side, just fast enough to feel the rush of air from his tackle nearly send me off my feet. So strength wasn't the only thing he had going for him.

"Hulk wait!" I shouted. I still hadn't given up on a peaceful solution. "I'm not your enemy! My name is Chris." Names were always a good place to start in gaining trust. He turned back around to face me fully, and the next thing I heard was more terrifying than any zombified moan, any shrill shriek of a leaping Hunter or bellowing roar of a Tyrant that I had ever heard before.

"Chris?" He began, turning slowly. "Hulk turn you into Chris **_sandwich_** for coming after Hulk!"

And he charged again, but this time I was prepared. I took one quick step to the left, and before I knew it, he was right on top of me, crumpling a giant billboard that hung from the side of the building in my place like it was made of tissue paper. I instantly raised my gun to his face and fired off a burst of point-blank shots into his head. The bullets crushed on impact and fell harmlessly to the ground, leaving not so much as a scratch on his temple.

Before I could react, Hulk twisted around and grabbed hold of me with his left hand, gripping my skull and raising me into the air with utter ease. I wasn't very used to facing people who were even bigger than me, and even less accustomed to being manhandled so easily. The pressure was immense, but I could tell he wasn't even trying, so before he had the chance to put some more effort into his grip, I quickly raised my gun and fired wildly at where I assumed his face to be. I was almost surprised when he actually dropped me and recoiled in what seemed like pain, but I was too focused on determining whether my skull had actually been fractured or not by his grip to take much pride. When he turned back around and I caught a glimpse of his face, bleeding from the eye and blistering with rage, it reminded me of the last time I saw Wesker, drowning in a pit of lava as he desperately, _furiously_ tried to bring me down with him.

But this thing was even stronger than Wesker was, and at least as fast. It's bleeding eye gave me some semblance of hope that maybe I would be able to live long enough to see the sunrise, but as I watched the organ literally stitch itself back up in a matter of seconds and Hulk continue his angry strut in my direction like nothing had ever happened, I found it hard to hang onto that hope.

There was less than a yard of space between us now, and I wasn't about to take this thing on in close quarters. I quickly backpedaled as fast as I could without ever taking my eyes off it, and raised my left hand to my ear.

"HQ, I've located the BOW. I need backup and I need it _right now_!" A garble of static was my reply. I cursed inwardly and repeated.

"HQ?"

"Captain Redfield where is your current location? What happened to your team?" It took every ounce of concentration I had to avoid the heavy blows thrown by the monster who was suddenly right in front of me. Instinctively, I ducked under his right fist, then darted my body to the side to dodge his next blow. I thought I'd be able to take a couple more shots at his eyes and make a quick escape, but that plan was busted when he suddenly raised both fists in the air simultaneously, and then brought them down with the force of a million sledge hammers.

I skidded back, narrowly avoiding the blow that nearly toppled the entire building. But as I continued to backpedal my way to the other side of the roof, I was surprised to see that the monster didn't instantly stand up and follow me. For a moment, I felt relief flood through me, but it didn't last long.

"Captain Redfield, your team has been notified and is heading back to your position. The chopper has also made a 360 and will arrive shortly to provide-"

From his position with both fists on the ground, the Hulk slid his fingertips underneath the cement rooftop, and in a flash the entire area erupted into a wave of concrete and metal debris as the Hulk violently ripped it up right from under my feet. I was sent tumbling through the air like a ragdoll, my arm straining to fight the momentum and keep it's hold on the intercom button of my earpiece.

"IT'S NOT ENOUGH DAMMIT!"

I just barely managed a midair recovery to avoid landing straight on my head, instead landing on my hands and knees and sliding the rest of the way across the rooftop while desperately trying to halt my momentum and gain a foothold. I eventually found myself lying flat on my stomach, with my gun pointed forward as the monster made another mad dash for me, it's foot only milliseconds away from crushing my skull.

" _The eyes, go for the eyes!_ "

I fired three more rounds centered on what seemed to be it's only weak point. Every bullet connected exactly where I wanted them to, except this time, there was no blood or stutter in it's movement. This time, I watched as the bullets connected straight with this _thing's_ pupils one after the other, and bounced away just as harmlessly as the rounds I had fired into it's temple moments ago. It was getting stronger with every passing moment.

With no time left to waste, I put every ounce of energy I had into a quick roll to the side, and right on cue its foot stomped down right where I had been, sending out a spider web of cracks in every direction. There was no distance between us now, I jumped to my feet and continued evading it while running through options in my head. It seemed to be getting more and more aggressive by the minute, but I knew I at least had a chance. It was fast that's for sure, but it lacked any kind of precision with its attacks. As much as I hate to admit it, half the reason Wesker was so dangerous was because the man really did know how to fight. Every move was coordinated, a well-thought out strategy, and his super human agility on top of that gave him a level of finesse that was almost impossible to match. This thing on the other hand was just wild, easy to predict, and that made it a lot easier to keep up with.

"Captain Redfield," The voice in my ear came on once again, drilling into my head when I was focused on fighting for my life, and I felt like grabbing the damn headset and smashing it into the ground. But I restrained myself, I knew that this line back to HQ might be the only thing that gets me out of this. "What is your current situation with the monster?"

"The monster is invulnerable. I can't find a weakness and it's getting stronger by the minute." I replied, my voice even but urgent. I heard some muffled whispers on the other end, my mission support and another voice, male, aged but commanding. I couldn't help but feel an anger rising at how much they were taking their time, how casual they were as I was fighting for my life and asking them for help. Before my emotions could reach a boiling point, I decided to speak up myself.

"The monster isn't a hostile, the city hasn't even been touched." I began. "It just wants to be left alone, and I probably can't stop it even if I tried. Requesting immediate extract-" There was a scuffle on the other end, and before I could even finish my sentence, the older voice from before came on and was barking in my ear.

"LISTEN HERE SOLDIER," The rage in this man's voice caught me completely off guard and almost caused me to miss my next dodge. He spit with as much venom as any B.O.W. I had ever encountered in the past. "YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL YOU COMPLETE YOUR MISSION! THE HULK IS A MENACE, WE CAN'T JUST _LEAVE HIM ALONE_! IS THIS HOW YOU REPAY THE COUNTRY THAT-" Another scuffle, my mind was racing. What the hell was going on? Before I could connect the dots, the voice of my mission support came back.

"Captain Redfield, you are to hold your position and wait for backup. Until your team makes it back to your position, you are not to take your eyes off the target."

Well that was that, I was on my own for the time being. I re-focused my efforts, the entire exchange had only lasted a few seconds, and I still had a firm lead on monster. It only took me a second to formulate a basic plan; this thing's eyes might have hardened to beyond the strength of tempered steel, but that doesn't mean they weren't still a weak spot.

Without ever taking my vision off the fast approaching monster, I flipped open the pouch strapped to my right thigh and pulled out the only weapon I had that could possibly bypass this thing's inhuman durability; a flash grenade. By the time I had it in my hands the distance between us had already been halved, so without wasting another second, I popped the pin and hurled it straight at the monster's face.

The grenade detonated on impact, sending out a burst of light and sound faster than it could react. I shielded my eyes but only for half a second, that was more than enough time for the brief flare to dissipate, but when I looked back I found myself wishing it was less. At first I thought the tactic didn't work, the monster's hand was still stretching towards me, and by now it was too late to dodge. All I could do was brace myself for the incoming head trauma and _hope_ I wouldn't be knocked straight off the edge of the building, but just before the blow connected, its arm stopped.

I looked over and noticed that its other hand was grasping at his face, the arm that was aimed for me having stretched to it's limit. He was just thrashing now, totally senseless; the grenade had worked! I caught a brief glimpse of his face between the fingers, now he seemed more dazed than angry, almost confused. His eyes went from wide and directionless to squeezed tightly shut as he tried to adjust his vision. I wanted to take a minute to smile and appreciate the results afforded by such a versatile weapon, but it wasn't over yet. I had no idea how long this thing would be distracted; if it could completely _regenerate_ its eye in just a matter of seconds, than surely it wouldn't take long just to remove the stars. Without a second thought I began to enact the second part of my plan; if gunfire to the pupil wasn't enough to hurt this monster, then my only other option was a 50 story drop straight from this rooftop down to the pavement below.

So far my plan was working almost perfectly. In its daze the monster had stumbled straight over to the edge of the building; all it needed now was a push. I thought for a moment; I was pretty confident in my strength, but even I wasn't about to run up and try to throw this thing off the roof myself. Instead, I reached back into my grenade pouch and took stock; three explosives. Thinking back on everything that had transpired during my brief battle with the Hulk, I decided I wasn't taking any chances and just grabbed the whole pouch. I could see the monster was bringing his hand down now and rapidly blinking, I knew I had only seconds left before my opportunity was gone, so I quickly pulled all three pins and tossed the whole pouch in its direction. I hit the dirt as soon as the handheld fireballs were out of my hands, and looked back just in time to see the Hulk get consumed in a wave of pure explosive power. Even through the combustion I could see it wasn't at all affected by the blast, but the explosive force coupled with the beast's still-fading disorientation achieved the desired effect; the Hulk stumbled one foot backwards and crashed straight through the stone boundary of the rooftop, plummeting back down to Earth, and I suddenly found myself praying that it couldn't fly too.

Five seconds later and a distant crashing sound gave me my answer. I took a look over the shattered ledge and down into the street below, and was just able to make out the form of the Hulk, lying still in a massive crater as debris piled on top of him. I breathed for what felt like the first time all night, and pressed my finger back up against my ear.

"HQ, this is Chris. The BOW is down, for now at least. I sent it over the edge of the Bugle, it's lying in a crater in the street."

"Good work Captain Redfield. Make your way down to street level and confirm the BOW's status. Your team should be ready with the Shocknet by the time you get there."

The Shocknet? I had almost forgotten about that. It didn't seem like we needed it now, but if I've learned anything in this line of work, its that you're better safe than sorry.

I was about to turn heel and head for the staircase, when a sudden movement in the now-debris ridden crater caught my eye. Instantly I knew what was coming, but that didn't ease my worry.

The Hulk was digging its way out from underneath all the rubble, and as the first glimpse of its unblemished green skin came into view, I began to feel real, _true_ apprehension for the first time in years. I cursed and was about to take off for the staircase, when suddenly, right in front of Hulk at the base of the building, a door was smashed open and out came my men, marching straight up to Hulk right in the nick of time. I could see they had the Shocknet ready, with each of them taking one corner and spreading the net over Hulk's body like a blanket, then without warning, the net constricted and coiled around the Hulk like a snake. It all happened before the monster could even get to it's feet, they were coordinated... almost too coordinated... _p_ _racticed_.

Just as I was on the verge of solving this mystery, my focus was torn back to the scene unfolding 50 stories below as the Hulk was lit up like an unfortunate mosquito who just had a chance encounter with a bug zapper. A military grade, one-hundred million volt bug zapper. The electricity was powerful; the lights didn't reach very far, but they were _**focused**_. I could only imagine its pain, being wrapped up like a mummy in those wires with every inch of its flesh being exposed. But I never let pity get in the way of my mission; regardless of how shady things seemed to be on HQ's side, stopping this monster was still my priority, and if the Shocknet was the only way to accomplish that, so be it.

It actually seemed to be working too. The Hulk was on his feet now, but wavering, struggling to keep balance as it shuffled around. I remembered how this net was designed to interfere with the target's motor functions, I hadn't studied the technical aspects of it for long, but apparently the electricity somehow effected the nervous system, and it certainly showed in the way Hulk was fumbling around with his whole body gone stiff. For a moment, I actually started thinking that the mission might have been over.

But those hopes were shattered, along with my ear drums, in the next instant. After having only been incapacitated for the span of a few _seconds_ , the Hulk let out his most powerful roar yet, and began **fighting**. I watched in a mixture of panic and awe from the rooftop as the Shocknet's wiring stretched to its limits, then shattered. The most dangerous, most complex and highly funded weapon the BSAA had ever developed, was only an annoyance to him.

Instantly I feared for my men's lives. Even if they were withholding some secrets from me, I was still their leader, and I was responsible for them. Without waiting another second I spun on my heel and darted towards the staircase, ignoring everything around me as I raced down to street level. I heard what sounded like an **explosion** coming from below where my men were alone with the Hulk, and immediately holstered my pistol so I could pump my arms for more speed. The Daily Bugle staff would be surprised to find more than a few overturned tables and smashed doorways around their building the next business day, but I didn't care, the damage I could do to this office building was insignificant compared to the damage the Hulk could do to a human body in half the time. I knew that firsthand, although I was able to avoid the bulk of it. Then again, not many BSAA agents were as good as me.

That thought that should have incited pride, only strengthened my terror.

A few minutes of deafening silence passed and I had halved the distance between myself and the pavement. Another minute, and I only had 10 more floors to go. The thought of my men lying in pools of their own blood pushed me to pump my legs faster, and somehow I cleared the rest of the floors in just as many seconds. But when I finally found myself breaching into the city streets, all sense of urgency completely vanished. I was too late.

The Hulk was nowhere in sight, but what he left behind, stirred a sorrow and rage in my heart that I hadn't felt in over a decade. Since the day Captain Albert Wesker betrayed his own unit and led most of our teammates straight to their death. That was the only other time where I felt something comparable to what I felt now, as I saw each and every one of my men lying face down on the pavement. Obviously this hadn't been the first time the BSAA suffered casualties, but... my whole team wiped out at once, leaving me as the sole survivor... there was definitely a reason this reminded me of Spencer's mansion.

I raced over to the nearest body, a muted 'no' escaping my throat. I dropped to one knee and watched him, and when the realization of what had happened actually hit me, I stopped breathing... Only then did I notice, that he _was_.

It took me a moment to register the subtle rising and falling of his chest, but once I did, I immediately checked for a pulse. He was alive. I did the same to all the other bodies only to find each and every one of them merely unconscious. No visible wounds, it didn't even look like any of them had suffered any broken bones from the looks of it. Relief flooded through me, but almost rivaling that emotion, I wondered, how? What the hell happened down here?

* * *

"It was awful, I-I... I felt like my body was getting ripped apart. It just... _clapped_ , and..." Those were the words of Jonathan Hunt on his hospital bed, one of my men who fought the Hulk the night before. The rest of the troops had similar stories; that explosion I heard on the rooftop was the result of Hulk literally _clapping_ his hands together, with the resulting impact sending out a massive shockwave that knocked everybody unconscious instantly. After that, I can only assume the Hulk just left. He was nowhere in sight when I reached the street, and for the rest of the night the BSAA received no further emergency calls. I guess he got tired of throwing us around and remembered that he could just leave. Although this does confirm my earlier thoughts; the Hulk was no danger to anyone unless provoked. And even then, he made sure not to kill me or my men. He didn't even seriously harm any of us, just some scrapes and a few headaches. For whatever reason, the BSAA had an ulterior motive for sending us after him-it-whatever, and I wanted to know what it was.

It took all night for each of my men to wake up on their own time and give me their full stories, but once I knew they were all fine I left the hospital wing of HQ behind me and headed for the command center. I entered the wide room adorned with more scientists, military personnel, radars, and military equipment than I could wrap my head around, just in time to catch the last bits of General Thunderbolt Ross's rant.

"Your piece of crap net didn't work! I should have known the BSAA couldn't handle the Hulk! If even the army can't-!" The aging military general stopped there, seemingly headed on a train of thought that he didn't care to continue. Then he spotted me.

"And you!" He came storming towards me, and I didn't know whether to meet him halfway or run back to the medical ward.

"YOU were supposed to be the specialist! The guy who LIVES for fighting monsters like the Hulk, the best agent in the business! And what do you do? YOU LET HIM GET AWAY!"

Alright, enough was enough.

"I fought the Hulk with every ounce of strength in my body, _General_." I spit out the word like it disgusted me to address him by it. "While you were here keeping yourself safe surrounded by an army of the highest trained soldiers in the world, I was out there doing your dirty work without a single complaint. But now I know that was a mistake." I straightened my body and began towering over him, he was suddenly too stunned to retort. "You don't deserve the title of general, Ross. I've led rookies into battle who had twice the courage, and 10 times the _honor_ you possess. The Hulk might have been a B.O.W., but you were wrong to send in an ill-equipped squad to try and capture him alone when he wasn't a threat to anybody. I don't know what kind of _obsession_ you have over this whole thing, but you'll have to continue it on your own time. The BSAA is no longer interested in cooperating with the U.S. Army, not the section _you_ command at least." The room went silent. The white-collars and politicians who had just moments ago been begging for Ross's forgiveness, were suddenly firmly disapproving of his presence. I might have only been a soldier and not dealt much with the corporate or political stuff, but as a founding member I still commanded a lot of respect in the BSAA. Before Ross could say another word, a couple men grabbed him by the shoulders and escorted him out. I could hear his struggling against their holds as it grew more and more distant down the hall, until eventually, General Ross was no longer in the building.

* * *

I took a few hours filing reports on the mission, discussing things with the higher-ups and telling them not to pull a stunt like this on me again. I dedicated my **life** to the cause of eradicating bio-terrorism and saving lives, and I didn't appreciate being tricked into using my skills for a false cause. They were apologetic, of course, and I didn't think they would go behind my back again. General Ross had a lot of influence, but in the BSAA, I was more respected than anybody else.

The day passed by and we received no further news on the Hulk. I wasn't too worried, the BSAA had more pressing dangers to respond to. Which is why I made sure to get a good night's sleep and make up for the rest stolen from me by Ross's crazy scheme; I needed to be prepared for my next mission.


	2. War Hero

What little remained of the White House was now masked in a thick coat of black dirt and ash from top to bottom. Debris littered the expanse of charred grass that made up the president's front lawn, and thick, fresh smoke choked out almost all oxygen in the area. Whole platoons of soldiers were stationed all around the perimeter, keeping the enemy locked in and contained as we desperately fought to bring them down.

There had been a terrorist attack. Probably the biggest one in history. Targeted directly at the president himself, along with everyone who was currently anywhere near him. There was no buildup, no warning, everything just came at once. At exactly 11:03 this morning a batch of T-003 Tyrants were airdropped into Washington's capital. Nicknamed _Mr. X_ , the same model that tormented my sister back in Raccoon City.

But that was over a decade ago, and these monsters had plenty of time to improve. The newer variants were taller, _much_ taller, at least 10 feet straight into the air, and they had the bulk to match. According to intel, this is the same type that Leon Scott Kennedy encountered in the Eastern Slav Republic some years ago.

There were six in all, and although the president managed to reach his protected underground bunker before they got to him, they had already rampaged through half the White House and killed almost every Secret Service operative stationed there before backup from the BSAA managed to arrive. But by that point, their numbers had grown; now we were facing down a whole _horde_ of Tyrants of all different models, and a small army of Hunters and Lickers. For every man we lost, they  gained as the deceased were half-eaten and then transformed into zombies.

Gunshots rang out in all directions and the fires caused by air bombs and explosives were still spreading. I knew what this was; this was _**war**_. A full-fledged war was raging right in America's capital, and these damned monsters just _wouldn't_ _**die**_!

My squad and I - six men total - were all standing in a circle back-to-back. We were beginning to get overwhelmed, enemies coming from all sides. The attack happened so quickly and was so urgent that we didn't get much time to prepare. We were low on supplies, and I imagined the other squads were as well. Several of them had already succumbed to the virus, and being forced to target our fellow soldiers, men that we _knew_ and even _worked with_ , fought _side by side_ with, didn't do much to raise morale.

"Make all your shots count!" I shouted. It was a pointless command, but in situations like this, remembering the basics is important. You have to keep a cool head.

"We need to break free and recuperate." I continued in between bursts of gunfire. "The stronger monsters are too durable to be taken down by the supplies we have. Aim for their eyes, we just need to get them off our ba-" The shriek that suddenly ripped through our ear drums completely drowned out all the sounds of war going on around us, let alone the sound of my instructions. A Hunter was incoming, it had leapt through the air and slipped past our view, but its impulsive battle cry gave away its position just in time for me to counterattack.

A plan quickly formulated in my head, more instinct than strategy; I used my shoulder to butt the soldier to the left of me out of the way just before the Hunter grabbed hold of him. He went skidding into the dirt, but I had no time to worry about being gentle, now the monster was only a couple feet away, and _I_ had become its target. There was no time to raise my rifle from this range, so instead I reached out with my bare hands and grabbed hold of the monster by each of its wrists, years of experience dictating my movements as I rendered its deadly talons inert, before redirecting its momentum straight into the dirt behind me.

A basic judo maneuver, the power of the slam was multiplied by the Hunter's own strength. The creature writhed and spasmed on the ground as its scaly back _cracked_ , and I wasted no time in finishing it off with a point blank gunshot.

My brief moment of pride at countering a BOW in hand-to-claw combat was interrupted by the sudden screams of my troop.

"CAPTAIN!" I whirred around to find that, during my brief altercation with the Hunter, my flank had been exposed and now we were being overrun.

That's all it took in this place. Just a few seconds was the difference between everything, I hadn't been providing cover fire on my side, and that gave the BOWs all the opening they needed to slip past our defenses.

We were slightly dispersed now as my men desperately tried to fend off the invading monsters while simultaneously covering their own flanks. The soldier I had knocked to the ground - Kevin - was now wrestling for his life against a zombie dressed in the exact same uniform as him. To my left was the soldier who screamed for me, and now I see why; there was a Licker haunched 10 feet away with its tongue extended and impaled through his shoulder.

He was infected now.

But there was still time. The T-Vaccine was developed by Willpharma years ago, the BSAA had plenty in storage and the means to easily produce more just for situations like this. But first I had to evacuate him alive.

I raised my foot far back behind me, and then brought it forward hard enough to punt the zombie straddling Kevin away like a soccer ball. It was difficult restraining myself from putting all of my strength into the kick, but I knew that if any blood or bodily fluids were to leak and be ingested, Kevin would become infected too. Just getting the zombie away was the best option. Without wasting a beat, I drew my knife and lunged toward the Licker's tongue, severing it in one clean sweep as the monster recoiled in pain. The agent frantically pulled the remnants of its tongue out of his shoulder, revealing a clean, gaping hole right above his pec.

The ammo I had remaining in my rifle was spent into the creature's exposed brain, ending its suffering all too early. My sidearm dealt with the rest of the monsters surrounding us; my focus was palpable, adrenaline and conviction flowed through me, and before anybody had time to react I had opened holes in the brains of every monster that was surrounding us.

The men were still for a moment, confused at the sudden respite. My empty clip clattered on the ground.

"Men, form up and regroup!" I shouted. "We have an injured and almost no supplies left, it's time we evacuated back to the chopper and gained our bearings. This battlefield has no need for a group of unarmed and defenseless soldiers fighting with their bare hands."

The men slowly nodded in understanding. The admiration for me I saw in their eyes was all the motivation I needed to ensure we made it out of there. The president would have to wait.

I loaded my spare clip, and with the handgun in one arm and my injured soldier in the other, I led the charge through the sea of monsters and chaos.

My men were all just as determined as me, but this was difficult. We should have retreated earlier, in the state we were in it wasn't long before everybody was reduced to just their sidearms, and the less experienced of us were soon left without even that. I tried to maneuver us around the other squads on our way through the battlefield so we could at least be afforded some protection, but the BOWs were unrelenting. They came from all sides, hard and fast, and when I heard the first _clicks_ of the empty chamber, for a second all I could do was keep pulling the trigger, hoping that my sheer force of will would reload the gun.

Once I accepted that wouldn't work, that's when the rage came. My men and I were still in the middle of the battlefield, reduced to our bare hands. I grasped my pistol by the barrel and whipped it into a shuffling zombie hard enough to imbed the handle _in_ its face, blood and brain matter oozing out through the cracks on its skin. I turned just in time to spot a Licker jump in front of me and start flailing its tongue like a lance. With my left arm still holding up the wounded soldier, I reached out with my right and grabbed the slimy, lance-like appendage in my bare fist, and violently _tore_ it out.

The creature screeched and fell to my feet, and I took the opportunity to stomp its exposed brain into a pile of mush.

"Captain! We can't hold out like this!" One of my men yelled over the sound of gunfire. I agreed. But there was no clear way out. The perimeter was near now, but with no supplies left we wouldn't be able to carve the rest of our way to it. There were still too many monsters in the way.

"CAPTAIN!" Another voice screamed. "TYRANT!"

I whirled around and instantly felt a cold terror race up my spine. Not terror for me, but terror for my men.

A Tyrant was stampeding through the fields straight in our direction. 10 feet tall, bulked up to impossible degrees - I recognized the model straight away.

 _Nemesis_. The deadliest and most efficient BOW ever developed. And like Mr. X, it had been improved since the days of Raccoon City.

"RUN!" I commanded, and instantly my whole team took off at full speed. There was no more order, no more strategy or unification; just survival.

I took the wounded from my shoulder and hoisted him over my neck in a fireman carry, he wouldn't make it on his own. The path ahead of us was still littered with monsters, and I did the only thing I could think of; I raced ahead of my troop and used myself as a battering ram to clear them a path. Zombies, Hunters, Lickers, with more strength than I ever had before, I tossed them all aside with my free arm to give my men a way through, not caring if I exposed myself to infection or risked getting attacked, only caring that _they_ weren't.

But the Tyrant was gaining, its superhuman speed might as well have meant we were standing still. I could push myself harder, but that wouldn't help the men struggling to keep up with me. I turned my head to see the monster already upon us, fist raised ready to drive it through everyone standing in its way, and just when I thought it was all over, a blur of red and blue suddenly smashed into the Tyrant's skull, sending it completely off balance and skidding into the dirt.

I was stunned, until I got a better look at the object as it rebounded back the way it came in another streak of red and blue... No, red WHITE and blue!

"It's Captain America!" A soldier called. The shield that had saved our lives met the hands of the world's first superhero - its _greatest_ superhero - as he appeared right in front of us.

"You men could use some of these." He spoke as he withdrew several clips of ammo from his belt. He tossed them towards us, and my men, just moments ago filled with terror, had now completely forgotten about the war zone surrounding them as they sheepishly reloaded their rifles, the charisma of the man overwhelming them instantly.

"That should be enough to break the perimeter. Take care of your wounded and load back up, we need all the help we can get out here."

I loaded my gun as I instructed my men to forge on without me. We needed supplies, but at the same time I wasn't about to leave an unarmed man to fend for himself out here, superhero or not. They were hesitant, but respected my orders.

Just as I was about to greet the Captain directly, we were interrupted.

"GRAHH!" The Nemesis suddenly rolled over, springing back up to its feet as the gash on the side of its head caused by the razor-edged shield began to stitch itself back together. There was a brief pause before it attacked, where for just a moment, the monster uncharacteristically stood passively as it stared at Captain America, almost confused. It was examining the suit, and the shield, a vague recognition flashing across its inhuman face, until eventually its eyes went wide.

" _ **STARS!"**_

The Nemesis reached straight for Captain America, its arm appearing as nothing more than a big red blur. Instincts kicked in and I was about to throw myself into the fray to try and save him, but before I could even move a muscle, Captain America ducked straight under the swipe, coming up behind the Tyrant and smacking his shield across the back of its head in one smooth motion. The Tyrant stuttered but recovered quickly, spinning around for another grab, only for the Captain to sidestep his arm and ram the shield straight into its face just as it was coming down. Captain America continued to assault the Tyrant with a flurry of punches and kicks, precision strikes all aimed at various vitals and critical points on the human body, overwhelming the monster in seconds.

I couldn't believe what was happening before my eyes. A man faced against a **behemoth** , forced to fight in hand-to-hand combat, _fist against fist_ , with a monster of pure power and rage. The Captain was a cross between a machine and a dancer, that's the only way to describe it. Techniques the military industry has long since forgotten about, utilized with flawless fidelity, every move part of a carefully lain strategy. He was a surgeon, and that shield was his tool to operate on the BOW's weak spots and pressure points.

I did my part, using the ammo he gave me to keep the area clear so that he could work in peace. I thought about providing some supporting fire against the Tyrant, but the Captain's strikes were probably doing more damage than my limited ammo could anyway. I remembered my encounter with the Hunter just a few minutes earlier, my moves that had successfully saved my subordinate's life now seeming like an embarrassment in comparison.

Now I understood why he didn't take any weapons with him into the field besides that shield.

Before I knew it my men had returned, completely re-stocked and ready to end things. Captain America was still fighting the Nemesis, unable to truly kill it despite remaining almost untouchable himself. I was pulled back into the gritty reality of things and quickly examined the situation; no, I was wrong. His skill in the martial arts was incredible, but he still needed something more. I grabbed a grenade from my subordinate and ran ahead, a basic plan half-formed in my head. Luckily when I flashed the weapon to Captain America, he smiled and filled in the blanks. With one last bash of his shield, the Captain sent Nemesis into the air, flipping onto its back at my feet. My methods were a lot more… rudimentary. I took my sidearm and emptied half the clip into the lower half of its face at point blank range, successfully forming an opening between the bullet holes and its mouth, then stuck the grenade inside.

"HIT THE DIRT!' I yelled as I backpedaled, just in time to avoid the monster's swipe at my body. Before it could even stand back up, the grenade went off, blowing a chunk of the Tyrant's head straight off.

Even now I found myself shocked at the sheer durability of these BOWs, the fact that a portion of the Nemesis's head still remained intact was almost unbelievable, but luckily the grenade got the job done in the end.

"Captain, you're awesome!" A smile formed on my face despite the gruesome situation before me. I turned towards my subordinate, happily accepting his compliment… only for my troop to run straight by me without even looking and surround Captain America.

"I've never seen someone fight like that! You really are a legend!"

"You gotta join the BSAA and teach us those moves!"

I couldn't believe it. They were acting like _children_.

"Thank you men, but I don't deserve all the credit here. Your captain over there is really the one who killed that monster, and each and every one of you were instrumental as well."

His modesty only seemed to endear them more.

"Now listen, there isn't any time for pleasantries, we're still in the middle of a war zone and there's work to be done. You men are needed at the south-east blockade, form up and rendezvous with Hotel for an overwatch, there's no other way to get through than a frontal assault." The Captain briefly ran through a list of tactical maneuvers in order to give my team the best possible odds of reaching their new rendezvous point through the mass of BOWs, before finally, to my surprise, he informed them that they were on their own and I wouldn't accompany them.

"Uh, Captain America," It seemed awkward addressing him by that long monicker, but I held a lot of pride in my own title and it would feel uncomfortable for me to address him as just 'captain' out loud, especially in front of my own troop. Before I could continue, he turned towards me, sporting the warmest smile I think I've ever seen.

"Captain Chris Redfield, it's an honor to meet you. Your reputation as a soldier precedes you, and the work you've done for this country has been indispensable. I'd like to thank you for that personally."

That took me off guard. I don't usually get starstruck, but this was _Captain America_ here. I learned about this guy in _school_.

"I should be saying that to you." I looked around at the area surrounding us. Cap was right, we were still in the middle of a battlefield, as much as I would have liked a more appropriate introduction, we needed to get to work. "Do you have a plan?"

He quickly waved my troop off with a salute, then approached me, his look stern.

"The perpetrators of this attack are a terrorist group called A.I.M., an organization of advanced scientists who seek to abolish all world governments in order to gain power. A.I.M. has always been a technological based group, they usually operate in the fields of electronics and engineering, but recently got their hands on the means to manufacture BOWs, and evidently, they weren't opposed to stepping outside of their usual boundaries. There isn't much time to explain in detail, but I'm sure you can fill in the gaps."

"Yeah," I nodded, this A.I.M. group was starting to remind me of Umbrella even without the BOWs. "We've been here fighting off the army for hours, but we're going to need a better solution in order to finish things."

"The Avengers are on their way, they should make short work of the BOW army." For some reason, Captain America didn't seem at all relieved by his own news.

"So what do you need me for?" I asked.

"We know for a fact that A.I.M. has the means to easily create more BOWs. We might be able to stop them now, but if that's all we do then by the evening we'll have another terrorist attack some place else, and the only thing A.I.M. can do is improve them more and more in the meantime. A.I.M. needs to be stopped at the source, otherwise, even The Avengers might not be able to defeat the next army."

I raised an eyebrow at that. After my last encounter with the Hulk, I wasn't sure if the thought of him being overpowered and ripped apart satisfied me, or terrified me. "Alright then, so what's the source?"

The Captain's eyes narrowed as soon as the words left my mouth. His response was short.

"MODOK."


	3. Outclassed

At first, the idea of a covert two-man operation inside the heart of the most technologically advanced terrorist group in the world, sounded like a _joke_. I was confident in my own skills, but goddammit, we're still just men at the end of the day. How could the higher ups have possibly expected me to dismantle A.I.M.'s entire operation singlehandedly?

It wasn't until we actually arrived at A.I.M.'s headquarters and fought our way through the first wave of enemies did I realize, they weren't expecting me to stop A.I.M. at all... They expected _him_ to.

Captain America, he was like something from a different world. The A.I.M. grunts might not have been particularly competent, but their technology more than made up for that. Cannons that fired some sort of super-heated plasma at speeds impossible to react against, shields made of pure energy, it was nothing short of astounding. And, like with Umbrella, utilized for all the wrong purposes.

I was able to survive thanks to some quick thinking and using of my own arsenal to its fullest, but Captain America? He had no need for weapons, or even cover. That shield took both roles on its own.

The way he moved was like only special effects can do, traveling from one soldier to the next without missing a beat, without leaving behind a single threat and without ever dipping below speeds I'm more accustomed to experiencing on the highway than on the battlefield. He would leap through the air, flipping, tumbling, just narrowly slipping his body through every projectile that came his way in a streak of red and blue, all while holding the offensive and gradually whittling the enemy forces down one soldier at a time. And the best part is, he didn't even get _tired._

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit jealous. He made everything look so _effortless._

It was at that time when the slightly-fiendish thought occurred to me that Captain America can potentially be considered the world's first Bio-organic Weapon. The 'Super Soldier Serum' we learned about in elementary school basically served the same function as the T-Virus; turn a human into something more than human, and then put them on the battlefield so they can win the war for us.

Then as I continued watching him work, the way he would bounce off the walls and travel through the air so gracefully it almost looked like he could fly, I realized, no, to be called a B.O.W. would be a disgrace to him. Those mutants are nothing but rage and instinct; Captain America was a _strategist_. And it was that skill which I respected him most for.

To the untrained eye these acrobatic displays might appear to be nothing more than showboating. Even when the blasts weren't anywhere near him, he never stopped flipping around. It was incredible, but also struck me as a little unnecessary and… _comic booky_. That was until I realized, that's what makes him untouchable.

These maneuvers he kept pulling? They weren't just in the moment. They were practised. For the specific purpose of throwing the enemy's aim off. By constantly jumping, flipping, rolling, tumbling, and spending more time in the air than on the ground, all at speeds that boggled the mind just seeing them achieved by another human being, it wouldn't matter how advanced the enemy's technology was. Because they could never fire a straight shot.

This revelation, which should have humanized Captain America, somehow just elevated him even higher.

Although for my own part, the spectacle of a superhero fighting against evil wasn't enough to deter my concentration. I was in this mission too, and regardless of my inability to match up with the first Avenger, I at least intended to pull my own weight. For all of their scientific knowledge, A.I.M. didn't seem like the most tactically capable group. I could tell that their 'soldiers' hardly had any real combat training at all, let alone my level of field experience. They just relied on their weapons, and if I've learned anything in all my years spent on the battlefield, with all of the comrades that I've met and respected, it's that the gun doesn't matter nearly as much as the person holding it.

Their technology might have been beyond anything the BSAA had in its arsenal, but their lack of battle intuition resulted in weapon designs that left a lot to be desired. I found that almost every piece of equipment they carried had some exploitable weakpoint; energy shields didn't protect the back, plasma grenades took way too long to charge up after being activated, the rifles had huge battery packs that shifted their entire weight to the left, and not a single man possessed the skill to compensate for these shortcomings. I guess A.I.M'S combat abilities reflected its morals.

So I knew that even with odds as overwhelming as these, if I kept a cool head I'd be able to hold my own.

It was when we were storming the facilities, a long corridor illuminated by blood-red light being the only thing that separated us from the command center, where, presumably, MODOK was waiting. A squad of 'soldiers' came careening down the hall at us. I smashed through a doorway to take cover, the soldiers' reaction delay gave me plenty of time before they even had their fingers on the trigger. They didn't have the training to smoke me out of cover, and they _certainly_ didn't have the courage to follow me. I almost laughed when I realized I could just spend all day hiding in here, but I knew that wasn't an option.

I was planning on lobbing a grenade towards them from behind this doorway, but before I could even get my hand on the pin, I heard the sound of metal bouncing off metal, a group of muted gasps, and then nothing. I chanced a peek around the corner to see Captain America holstering his shield among their unconscious bodies, he caught my eye and nodded at me before turning back down the hall and continuing forward. Guess that takes care of that.

We continued deeper into the facility, encountering no more enemies. I took the moment of respite to look back and appreciate all that we've accomplished. I had to admit, it seemed HQ was right after all. Our focused two-man attack seemed to have been effective; we managed to get this far after all, only a few steps away from A.I.M.'s command center. A larger scale attack would have constituted all-out war and likely drawn reinforcements from neighboring bases. Of course this meant the two of us needed to fight off the whole single base alone, but we seemed to get the job done. There was no time for them to scramble the bigger weapons like tanks, mechs, or B.O.W.s, they figured a mere two men did not deserve the trouble.

They underestimated us, and that is what we banked on. A larger team would have drawn more attention, by taking them by surprise, the idea was to quickly and efficiently disarm the commander and seize control of the base before A.I.M. thought to, or had the time to bring out their full defense.

And up to that point it had gone surprisingly well, but when we finally bursted through the double-doors leading to the command center, and I got my first look at the _thing_ they called MODOK… all thoughts of the mission along with most of my common sense immediately fell to the wayside.

"Welcome, Captain America!" The thing in the hoverchair squeaked out, the voice sounded like it was on a helium fit.

"MODOK!" Captain America replied at my side. "Surrender is your only option!" He didn't seem at all fazed by what floated in front of us.

It was… just a giant, bulbous head sitting on a hoverchair, with… with these tiny limbs like a… I don't even know what to compare it to.

It was… it was just…

"Ahaha! I think NOT, my old nemesis! I applaud your skills for getting this far, but I still have a trick or two up my sleeve to _snuff_ you out! Mwahaha!"

...It was _comical._

"...This is the leader of A.I.M.?" I asked. It was all I could think to do. This seemed to get the head-thing's attention. He shifted his gaze towards me as if he was only noticing my presence for the first time now, raising a single refrigerator-sized eyebrow in some twisted mock of perplexment.

"So, taken on a new partner I see, eh Captain America? Guards, seize him!"

All at once I suddenly regained my senses, noticing the two heavily-armed A.I.M. elites at MODOK's side raise their energy rifles. I made the move to draw my sidearm, but just as my hand made contact with the sleek metal holstered at my hip, Captain America had already launched his shield and it was ricocheting around the room, hitting both guards in the back of the head before either could react, before bouncing off the wall and gracefully heading back in our direction.

Captain America moved forward to meet it and prepare an offense against MODOK, but just as the shield was within centimeters of his outstretched fingertips, the abomination at the head of the room smirked widely and fired a beam of energy out of the headband positioned across his massive forehead. The beam collided with the Captain's body in midair, holding him still as he screamed and the shield clattered harshly on the ground.

"Never leave yourself open to attack Captain America! You should have learned that by now, after clashing so often with a being as dangerous as I! Ahahaha!"

"Cap!" I yelled, my teeth gritting as I watched the world's greatest superhero helplessly dangle in midair, suspended by a beam of purple energy that enveloped his body and caused him to scream in agony. I had no idea what MODOK was doing, but I knew I couldn't let it continue.

I tore my pistol from its holster and fired three consecutive shots, two aimed for the things basketball-eyes and one aimed at the headband. None of them met their targets, as a quick wave of his hand brought up an energy barrier in front of me me, frying the bullets on impact and dividing the room, with my partner stuck on the other side.

"Foolish whelps! Did you really think it would be so simple as to just storm in and kill me?! ME?! MODOK?! DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT WHICH IS THE MIND YOU ARE DEALING WITH?!"

The beam suddenly retreated back into MODOK's headband and Captain America immediately crumpled to the floor. I called out his name but there was no response. I fired a few more rounds into the energy barrier separating us, but there was no effect. I cursed aloud and threatened the floating mutant with language I hadn't been angered enough to use since Wesker, and all the while he just kept laughing.

"Your partner is no longer your own! Now Captain America, _I_ command you to rise!"

I couldn't believe my ears. I didn't _want_ to. But I also could not deny what my eyes saw in front of me. Captain America, in response to MODOK's command, began to drag himself up to his feet, struggling as if he were actually fighting to stay _down_ but some greater force compelled him to stand back up.

"Ergh, C-Chhri-iss…" The Captain groaned out through gritted teeth, I could tell he was still conscious and was fighting this with everything he had, but somehow, MODOK had taken control.

"AHAHAHAHA! Splendid! SPLENDID!" The commander of A.I.M. threw his arms into the air as he cheered, but the puny limbs were almost unnoticeable. "Captain, you have no idea how long I've waited for this day! Time and time again you and I have done battle, and that blasted shield of yours was always in between your mind and mine. But I knew it would happen! Somehow, someway, eventually you would slip up! The shield would leave your hands and you would be defenseless, and TODAY WAS THAT DAY!" He began kicking and biting his lip in excitement, like an overgrown toddler. I furiously scanned my surroundings, searching for _some way_ to free myself from this barrier, but there was nothing.

"And now Captain America, I **com** _ **MAND**_ you to _**RISE**_ **!"** I watched as the disgusting imp leaned forward, almost drooling, and fired another blast of energy at Captain America from his headband. The Captain screamed again, and was wholly taken over as any struggle he previously displayed vanished, and he stood straight up in accordance with MODOK's demand.

I felt like collapsing. I wanted to crumble to my knees and hang my head low and just give up. The legendary hero, Captain America, had not only been beaten; he had been _stolen_. The hero idolized by the whole world, and the soldier who I had grown to respect more in 10 minutes than I had in spending years with lesser men, was to be exploited and manipulated by the enemy to commit atrocious deeds, all in the name of something he had dedicated his life to fighting against. All for the pleasure of a sadistic maniac with an ego that demanded he take over the entire planet.

It was Jill all over again…


End file.
